Alice is the sixty-nineth chapter of Jun Mochizuki's Pandora Hearts.
Synopsis[]
Jack is shown lamenting about how every time it snows he remembers the day that Lacie found him, and the day that he found her.
Jack asks Oswald to repeat himself again, and Oswald explains that Lacie died, and that it was he who killed her. Jack is taken with the pure shock as he stares at the earring that Lacie gave him and thinks about how once again, Lacie had managed to disappear before him, except that this time it was indefinite. After learning of Lacie's death, Jack said that he lost his integrity and that he hadn't known how he ended up back at the Vessalius estate or how long it had been since Lacie's death.
Glen compares Jack to a zombie without Lacie as it is revealed that he was sitting with Jack in his room. Glen explains that it had been about a month since Oswald told Jack of Lacie's death, as well as apologizes for letting himself in, but he had something important that he needed to talk with Jack about. Jack is confused that only a month had gone by. Glen just tells Jack that he seemed to come back to the Vessalius Estate immediately after hearing about Lacie's death from Oswald, which disappointed Glen because he thought that Jack would be driven to violence because of Lacie's death.
Jack ignores Glen's thoughts and asks if Oswald was able to lie. He didn't believe so, but as Oswald's words became more vague, Jack understood more and more about why Lacie had lied to him. Jack explains that he gets it because of how long he'd been staring the lie in the face. Jack explains that seeing through lies has always been a special trait of his, because he needed it to survive. Glen finds Jack interesting and wonders to himself why Jack didn't say anything despite knowing that he was being lied to. Glen then thinks about how Jack would've accepted Lacie's words even if they were lies because his frightening sincerity makes Jack twisted. Glen tells Jack to follow him as a world without Lacie doesn't have value to Jack, but Glen explains that Lacie fell into the Abyss. Jack exclaims, but Glen asks Jack to call him Levi from now on as that was his name before and the title of Glen was already passed onto Oswald. Levi explains that it hurts him to even move, and as such he didn't believe that he'd be able to ascertain the results of his experiment with his own eyes.
Oswald is seen watching outside from the Baskerville Estate, wondering to himself how it's almost 'time'. Oswald begins walking the halls, and whilst looking at his watch, he accidentally bumps into one of his servants, Charlotte. Charlotte at first barks at him for not watching where he was going, before realizing who he was and bowing, Charlotte then frantically runs off. Oswald, slightly stunned, thinks about how he had never seen Charlotte on the estate before, and wonders to himself if she was a new induction to the Baskerville Clan.
Levi explains to Jack while they travel to the Baskerville estate that his rate of dying has progressed drastically since the day of the ceremony where he transferred Jabberwock to Oswald, explaining that he's started to lose his outlook on life. He then explains that as Lacie was a Child of Ill Omen, she didn't fall into the Abyss, more accurately it was her duty. He explains that people who become Baskervilles have a distortion around them, making them unfortunate, especially the Head of the Dukedom, The Glen. This is why Glen's have a Child of Ill Omen by their side. The Glen is said to be a part of the distortion, and although Levi didn't know if it was completely true or not. Levi then states how there have been cases of the succession of Glen's who ended up having a blood relation of some sort to a Child of Ill Omen, like in the case of Oswald and Lacie. Jack is initially shocked, but Levi explains that it is just the Glens' way of cleaning up their own messes, which was why Lacie was allowed to live as a Baskerville until Oswald was ready to receive the full powers of Glen Baskerville in order to cast his sister into the Abyss.
Oswald is shown to be bringing a basket and candle up the tower where Lacie once resided. Oswald relives the moment where he cast Lacie into the Abyss. Oswald began the Ceremony by stating that he would pass judgement on Lacie using the Chains of Condemnation. Oswald pauses and Lacie asks him what's wrong and says that he should just finish it already. Oswald continues, stating that Lacie's sin was being born with the Eyes of Ill Omen and as such she was a danger to the balance of the Abyss. A black wing appears to summon the Chains of Condemnation, though it's unknown whether it was Raven, Owl, Dodo, Gryphon or Jabberwock, and Oswald and Levi stand back and watch as the Chains of Condemnation wrap around Lacie and pull her into the Abyss. Before Lacie was dragged into the Abyss, she said something to Oswald, though what she said was covered and out of view, leaving it unknown. Oswald had to stop his ascent and regroup from the memory.
Levi and Jack are now walking towards Lacie's tower, and Levi is explaining that Oswald is looking for punishment for what he did to his sister, and although Levi could understand Oswald's suffering, Oswald had also decided to take it as his responsibility to look after something.
Oswald arrives in Lacie's room where he is greeted by a little girl who bears a striking resemblance to Lacie. She knows Oswald as Glen, whilst Oswald knows the girl as Alice. Jack stops dead in his tracks when he sees Alice from the window of the tower. Levi explains that he was also shocked by Alice's resemblance to Lacie when he first saw her. Oswald asks if Alice was herself today, which Alice confirms, saying that she had the sense to change from the personality that hated Oswald before he arrived. Oswald asks Alice to stop talking the way she was, and Alice explains that she's only imitating Oswald and that if he wanted her to stop, then he shouldn't talk in that manner either. Oswald then tells Alice that he'd brought food. Alice is ecstatic when she learns that Oswald brought her meat.
Outside, Levi explains that Alice is his and Lacie's child and that Levi had Lacie give birth to after she had been cast into the Abyss. Jack, horrified, asks why Levi would do such a thing, and Levi explains that it was an experiment of his. Levi remembers to his proposal of the experiment to Lacie. He states that he wants to see if humans can handle the power of the Abyss. Lacie says that it'd be impossible as the Abyss was the beginning of everything, like a god as Levi had said before. Levi agrees with this but states that he wants to see if a human can become a god, by giving The Core of the Abyss a vessel and seeing if it can be controlled through it. Levi then explains that the Chains of Condemnation would be wrapped around Lacie, not her child, and that as such, even if Lacie is engulfed by the darkness of the Abyss, the child may be cradled within it and live on. Lacie asks if the child could find The Core properly, and Levi explains that if he had the free body then yes. Lacie then contemplate how the essence of The Core will no longer be alone because of the experiment.
Levi explains to Jack that things went as planned, although Lacie's single child turned out to be twins. Alice was returned a few days after Lacie was cast into the Abyss. Levi was hopeful that Lacie would also return with Alice, but he only found disappointment in that. Jack comes to the conclusion that Alice was caught in a time paradox before her returned, which allowed her to age until she was the age Alice appears to be now. Levi explains that starting now, he needed to retrieve answers to questions like 'why were the twins fragmented and returned to this world?' and 'did the core receive its vessel?'. Levi explains that Lacie always said that the Core had its own personality, which prompted Levi to name the vessel, considering Core or Little Abyss before settling on the Intention of the Abyss for the time being. By giving the Core a vessel, Levi wanted to see how the nearly indestructible Baskervilles would change, though Levi states that as an accursed being, he wouldn't be around much longer in order to find out. Levi left the task to Jack, allowing her to use Alice for his wish if he wanted and that he'd view the results from inside another Glen, before disappearing into the darkness.
Jack goes to meet with Oswald, who was surprised to see that he was still alive. Jack stated that he wouldn't commit suicide because he won't despair and that if he lost his light, all that would be left was hopelessness. That's why Jack wants to get the light back, he asks Oswald if he wanted the same, to see Lacie one more time before extending his hand to Oswald and the two set off to meet Lacie together.
Characters[]
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Terms[]
Trivia[]
- This chapter's alternate title was freely translated, since there is no official translation available in English.
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v - e - t | Pandora Hearts Chapters |
---|---|
Coming-of-Age Ceremony Arc | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 |
Working for Pandora Arc | 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 |
Cheshire Cat's Lair Arc | 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 |
Lutwidge Academy Arc | 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 |
Break's Past Arc | 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 |
Sablier Arc | 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 |
The Feast Arc | 43 • 44 • 45 • 46 • 47 • 48 • 49 • 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 55 • 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • 61 |
Jack's Intention Arc | 62 • 63 • 64 • 65 • 66 • 67 • 68 • 69 • 70 • 71 • 72 • 73 • 74 • 75 • 76 • 77 • 78 • 79 • 80 • 81 • 82 |
Swan Song Arc | 83 • 84 • 85 • 86 • 87 • 88 • 89 • 90 • 91 • 92 • 93 • 94 • 95 • 96 • 97 • 98 • 99 • 100 • 101 • 102 • 103 • 104 |
Extra Episodes | 80.5 • 85.5 • 91.5 |
Volumes | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 |
Omake | Maidora Hearts • Bumbling Sleuth Break • Magical Girl Ill-Omened❤Lacie • Pandora Academy |
Other | One-Shot • DVD Bonus Story • Pandora Hearchu • Mochizuki's Musings |